Summary On 27 April 2000, the Panamanian bulk carrier FederalFuji was calling at the Port of Sorel, Quebec, to offload reinforcing bars at berth15. Commencing its final approach to the dock under the conduct of a pilot, the vessel struck the bulk carrier TecamSea, moored at berth19. There were no injuries or pollution as a result of this occurrence. Ce rapport est galement disponible en franais. Other Factual Information Particulars of the Vessels Description of the Vessels The FederalFuji is a bulk carrier with a deadweight capacity of 29536tons. The bridge, accommodation, and engine room are aft of the five cargo holds. Four deck cranes are used to handle cargo at the cargo holds. The ship is powered by one main engine, driving a right-hand fixed-pitch propeller. The bow thruster develops 660kW. The TecamSea is a bulk carrier with a deadweight capacity of 27631tons. The bridge, accommodation, and engine room are aft of the five cargo holds. Four deck cranes are used to handle cargo at the cargo holds. History of the Voyage On 27 April 2000 around 1502 eastern daylight time,2 the tugs OcanGolf and LaPrairie were made fast by the bow to the starboard shoulder and quarter, respectively, of the FederalFuji. The bulk carrier, with 18813tons of reinforcing bar on board, was preparing to move from the anchorage in the mouth of the Richelieu River to berth15 in the Port of Sorel, Quebec. On the bridge were the master, the officer of the watch, the helmsman, a company representative, and a pilot, who was conning the vessel using visual observations. The crew noted that the weather was clear. The winds were from the northwest at about eight knots. At 1509, off the danger buoy for Sorel basin, the pilot ordered slow ahead. The vessel headed toward the mouth of the Richelieu River, while visual contact was maintained with the front of wharf15. After establishing visual contact with the front of wharf16, the pilot ordered port 20helm. The tug OcanGolf assisted the vessel to swing to port. At 1512, the main engine was stopped, and the tug LaPrairie applied astern power to deaden the vessel's headway, estimated at two knots. Figure1. Port of Sorel, approximate position of vessels When the yaw had slowed, the pilot directed the navigation personnel to use the bow thruster to assist the tug. The vessel stopped swinging to port, then suddenly swung to starboard. At 1513, the pilot ordered dead slow ahead and hard-a-port helm, but the speed of the swing to starboard increased and the vessel moved away from berth15. Two kicks ahead were ordered, including full ahead at 1516. The vessel crossed the river and approached the TecamSea, moored at berth19. When the navigation personnel confirmed to the pilot that the bow thruster was already operating at full power and the helm was still hard-a-port, he ordered both anchors dropped. At 1517, he ordered half astern, then full astern. The port anchor was dropped, then the starboard anchor. At 1518, the starboard shoulder of the FederalFuji struck the port quarter of the TecamSea. The main engine was stopped immediately, and the FederalFuji moved away from the TecamSea. At 1524, the anchors were weighed and manoeuvres were commenced to allow the FederalFuji to stem the current again off berth15. Both tugs were ordered to push the FederalFuji into berth15, but the manoeuvre was unsuccessful. At 1532, the tug LaPrairie was cast off and then ordered to push on the forward section of the FederalFuji, together with the tug OcanGolf. The FederalFuji swung to port and approached the wharf. Around 1546, the FederalFuji was moored in berth15 without further incident. Damage to Vessels The FederalFuji sustained damage to the starboard shoulder. The shell plating and the forecastle deck plating and associated girders in way of the forecastle bulwark and boatswain's locker were cropped and renewed. One roller chock, one landing boom, one navigation mast and the access platform also required repairs. The TecamSea sustained damage to the port quarter. The shell plating was stove in way of the quarterdeck. Port Information Figure2. A section of CHS electronic nautical chart C1312A Currents At the mouth of the Richelieu River, the current vector on the St. Lawrence River indicates a current of 1.5knots running at 075. A current of approximately 1knot is indicated along the axis of the Richelieu River. The current is slightly weaker near berth15. Flow rates in the St.Lawrence and Richelieu rivers vary with the seasons. During spring runoff, the current is stronger than the average current indicated on the chart. The pilot estimated that the current in the Richelieu River was 2to 3knots at the time of the occurrence. Silting Advisory The mouth of the Richelieu River is prone to silting. The following silting advisory appears in the reference box of Nautical Chart1312, Port of Sorel, published by the Canadian Hydrographic Service (CHS): Owing to continual silting, dredging is carried out periodically to the depths shown but mariners are cautioned that varying amounts of refilling must be expected. Sounding and Dredging Because of silting, soundings were taken in the mouth of the Richelieu River in 1987, 1988, 1993, 1997, 1998, 1999, and2000. Most soundings were done alongside the berths, including berths14,15, and19. Apart from the natural sedimentation deposited by currents at the mouth of the river, deposits of toxic substances have also been reported, and no disposal site has yet been found for these deposits. The government of Quebec released funding for a dredging impact study. The shipping channel in the Port of Sorel is dredged to a depth of 11.7m, but the centre of the estuary is dredged less often. The chart inset on CHS Nautical Chart1312 indicates that a shoal is located off berth15, reducing the usable water depth to 9.4m above chart datum. This shoal was dredged in December1999, increasing the usable water depth to10.1m. Usable Water Depth The Sorel tide register for April27 indicates that, around 1515, the water depth was 1.32m above chart datum. Consequently, on the 9.4-m shoal off berth15, the FederalFuji, drawing 10.09m, had an under-keel clearance of at most 0.63m. Port Operations The major activities at the Port of Sorel are the trans-shipment of mineral ore, grain, and steel. In previous years, vessels that had loaded grain on the Great Lakes would complete their loads at berth15 in the Port of Sorel before proceeding to the Atlantic. Around 1990, Fagen Dock Services Inc. started trans-shipping steel at berths5 and6 of wharf2. The holding area at wharf2 was eventually too small, and around1995, Fagen Dock Services Inc. started to use the land to the west of the mouth of the Richelieu River at Pointe-aux-Pins. In 1996, berth19 was rebuilt to handle general cargo. Now, steel accounts for about 95percent of all cargo handled at this berth. Because of restrictions related to usable water depth at berths5 and19, deep-draught vessels are partially lightened at berth15 before moving to berth19 to finish offloading. Statistics on Pilot Assignments Pilots can be assigned to some 140vessels a year. In1999, for example, the Laurentian Pilotage Authority (LPA) recorded 787assignments to the Port of Sorel. In the Richelieu River in particular, the 53pilots available between Trois-Rivires and Montral carried out a total of 290assignments involving vessel movements: In 1999, pilots completed 11assignments involving a transfer from berth15to berth19. During the winter, two pilots may be aboard the same vessel. Tugs Available Table 2 lists some key details of the tugs most often used in the Port of Sorel. The OcanGolf and the LaPrairie assisted the FederalFuji during the approach manoeuvre. The OmniSt-Laurent and the OmniRichelieu, the tugs based at the port, were sometimes relieved by the JerryG., the LaPrairie, and the SalvageMonarch. Other Occurrences Several pilots who belong to the Corporation des pilotes du Saint-Laurent central (corporation of pilots serving the Montral to Qubec sector) reported having been involved in such marine occurrences as near strikings and near groundings in the Port of Sorel. Other pilots were involved in marine accidents. The following information is from some Reports of a Shipping Casualty made by pilots to the Laurentian Pilotage Authority: During a docking manoeuvre assisted by two tugs with bollard pull of 15tons and 17tons, respectively, a bulk carrier with a deadweight capacity of 18668tons and a draught of 7.48m suddenly swung to starboard. The bridge team were unable to control the swing, and the vessel grounded on a shoal in the river. When swinging off the river mouth with the assistance of two tugs, each with a bollard pull of about 15tons, a bulk carrier with a deadweight capacity of 24105tons and a draught of 10.61 m was driven by the wind and current. The tug was unable to keep the vessel away from the channel bank, and the vessel grounded. During a docking manoeuvre assisted by a tug with a bollard pull of 15 tons, a general cargo vessel with a deadweight capacity of 21894tons and a draught of 8.4m suddenly swung to starboard, crossed the river, and struck the front of wharf19. During a docking manoeuvre assisted by a tug with a bollard pull of 17tons, a vessel with a deadweight capacity of 6266tons and a draught of 5.8m suddenly swung to starboard, crossed the river, and struck the front of the opposite wharf, No.19. During a docking manoeuvre assisted by two tugs with bollard pull ratings of 15tons and 17tons respectively, a bulk carrier with a deadweight capacity of 28086tons and a draught of 10.48m grounded about 30m off berth 15. During a docking manoeuvre assisted by two tugs with bollard pull ratings of 15tons and 17tons respectively, a bulk carrier with a deadweight capacity of 36563tons and a draught of 9.27m struck wharf19.